Longford

Or, continue to post snarky comments. 🤐

Sorry, I meant to post an edit to the earlier comment of mine. A 'senior moment' prevented that from happening. LOL!

I have a different impression, than you. Though, I'm a newbie having cruised just once recently. But I spent a lot of time talking to, listening to and observing other passengers on my ship. Few were first-timers and many took 2-4 cruises each year. Adventure was gone long ago, for many. They were familiar with each port of call, because of prior visits. What they seemed to like most was the AI trip and the services provided onboard. No, it wasn't a poll of the 2200 others on board ... but I did observe and listen to a great many fellow passengers.

I'm a newbie to cruising, having traveled solo for a 7 nighter on Serenade 11/5/2022. I don't have the experience to make comparisons between ships. I live in the Tampa Bay area and wanted my first cruise departing locally, on a smaller ship. I'll preface my remarks by saying I've worked in the hospitality industry for many years, including as a hotel general manager. My observations are that, at the time of my cruise, the interiors of Serenade were excellent - attractive - well maintained - my ocean view room was traditional, comfortable and in good condition. I've been on a reduced food intake diet 😁 and ate all of my meals in WJ. I found the choice and quality of food in WJ to be no less than an excellent land-based buffet restaurant. No not comparable to a beef or seafood all you can eat buffet in Rio de Janeiro ... but more than sufficient for my solo needs and wants. All of the free beverage stations I frequented worked well. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to eat in the WJ adjacent outdoor dining areas. IMO, I believe the cruise and the price I paid ... and all of the amenities available ... offered me good value.

Though it's unlikely the pay-in-advance gratuities will be reduced, if room attendant / steward visits and housekeeping services are reduced I'd likely leave less of an additional cash gratuity at cruise end.

Morning, because I know how to turn down my own bed at night. 🛌

This discussion isn't or hasn't been about ports .. .but about ships, class of ships, etc. Hands-down,the Western Mexico ports are far more interesting than the Western Caribbean ... IMO. So, let's focus on one or the other ... specific ships or specific itineraries.

I'm a newbie to cruise vacations. I also know a lot about Mexico, having traveled in the country since 1969, traveled in most parts over the years ... and lived in Mexico City for 6 years. My recent first-ever cruise was a 7 nighter to the Western Caribbean. If I wanted to cruise back in Mexico I'd choose the West Coast. The West Coast itinerary offers a better experience in Mexico, IMO. The ship isn't as important to me, a solo traveler, as the itinerary.

Sorry to say, I don't doubt they'd be the same people who pig-out at a buffet restaurant walking back to the table with food falling from the overloaded plate. Food waste, entitled over-eaters. Let 'em pay more for the gluttony.

No.

Yes, the carrots were extraordinarily large.

Instead of paying +/- $28 per day for Coke, Pepsi, etc. ... I paid nothing additional for a plethora of other, free, non-alcoholic / non-carbonated beverages during my cruise.

Bingo!

I would not be surprised to learn that the TA paid for the reimbursement, out of pocket ... or that RCL treated the TA request as a professional credit against future commissions paid to it. I'm still thinking travel insurance would have reimbursed had insurance been purchased. Just wondering.

Always, there are at least two sides to a story. None of us reading the discussion know all of the facts involved in your dispute. We're reading just one side. As for legal action: it's highly unlikely the claim would / will gain traction because: you (apparently) accepted the terms and conditions of the contract, you have extensive prior travel experience with RCL and will be deemed to have more than a passing familiarity with the terms and conditions of RCLs contracts, and you used a qualified professional cruise agent to represent you in the transaction. If you've mentioned it, I overlooked your comment: what compensation, if any, are you entitled to under the travel insurance policy you purchased for the trip?

Maybe just raise cruise prices by $25 per day per person so that big eaters have their second entree. 🤩

Desserts are, by nature, sweet. When a ship's pastry staff prepares tens of thousands of desserts during a weeklong cruise it's not as easy to prepare ones that are somehow distinctively tasteful on some way. I ate all meals on my November 2022 7 nighter on Serenade in the WJ. I'll admit that I don't eat a lot of dessert. But my vanilla ice cream tasted like vanilla. I ate a lot of fresh fruit for dessert ... and each tasted like it is supposed to. And the two slices of cake I ate was, yes, sweet - which is what I wanted and enjoyed. I occasionally eat at buffet restaurants near where I live ... and I don't expect everything to taste like a steakhouse restaurant. Having spent time observing so many large-sized cruise passengers on my journey, they seemed happy with the several or more desserts they took at each meal. 😏

I returned from a 7 night cruise out of Tampa in November 2022. I enjoyed expedited debarkation using a Porter ... and I don't recall facial recognition technology being used. Do you have a concern about being asked to submit to facial recognition? Or just asking for general information purposes? Thanks.

I cruised out of Tampa 11.05.2022 ... without delay in departure. We returned 7 days later ... no delay.

My first cruise was in November 2022 -7 nights on RCCLs Serenade of the Seas. I wanted to cruise out of the port closest to where I live without having to fly or drive to the terminal ... so I chose Tampa, a 40 minute drive from where I live. Out of Tampa most cruises are to the Western Caribbean ... and that's what I chose. It was a smaller ship - maybe 2,400 passenger capacity ... which for a first cruise I enjoyed.

I cruised with RCCL in October 2022. People dressed ... business casual for men ... in the MDR, from what I observed. On special nights many people were v e r y dressed-up.

So, now you're a mind-reader? You know nothing about me or the advance research I did or didn't do. Nobody likes a know it all, but you probably hear that often. 🥸

Really? What a sour attitude.

I'm a one-time recent cruise passenger. So not anything to compare the experience to. That said, I paid my room steward extra, in cash. I also paid a particular bartender additional, in cash .. because she added a lot of extra rum to my Pina Colada. 😁 At the trip end, I tipped the porter who brought my luggage from the ship to my car, in cash.

Seems to me it was your lack of attention that caused the problem, not RCCL. Easy to blame others for our faults.